This Is How Yahoo Are Distancing Themselves From Google And Facebook

Yahoo has always struggled with being second best. As a search engine, it quickly became eclipsed by the power of Google. It then turned its focus to the now deceased instant messaging service which was ultimately unable to compete with that of MSN’s throughout the early 2000s. Subsequently, it developed a content service of news and articles related to everything from movies to technology. However, it was beaten once again by major publications doing the same thing such as The Huffington Post or The Guardian.

Yahoo may be an old dog in the tech world, with a history that dates back 20 years, but it is a company whose best days are far behind them. At least, that was the case until 2012 when the former Google executive Marissa Mayer joined the problematic tech company. Hiring a plethora of great talent and finally pushing through a redesign, Mrs. Mayer has shaken up the company. Perhaps the boldest move she has taken though is to no longer rely on the power of Google and Facebook to help Yahoo achieve its ambitions.

Prior to this year, Google and Facebook services were often integrated into Yahoo. Namely, you could log into their services with a Google or Facebook account. It means that Yahoo was, effectively, unable to eclipse its competitors as it was constantly relying on third party services for its own to function. However, it is now currently in the process of refusing customers to log in to certain services with a Google or Facebook account. These include Fantasy Sports, the photo website Flickr and their blogging platform called the Yahoo Contributor Network. A spokesperson confirmed that the sign in buttons for rival websites will be totally eradicated by the end of the year.

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Publicly, Mayer is insisting that the new process “will allow us to offer the best personalized experience to everyone”. But its a process that sends out a resounding message to their rival tech companies: We don’t need your help. She is clearly intent on distancing the company from them and allowing it to stand on its own two feet.

This kind of stance requires a lot of confidence. It relies on people wanting to make a full commitment to Yahoo’s services rather than just casually browsing them. After all, customers could very easily feel that setting up an account with Yahoo is too much effort and decide to use a different website instead. But Yahoo have every right to be bold. Marissa Mayer, at only 38 years of age, has not only increased their revenue by purchasing popular websites like Tumblr. She has also secured them an exciting future by promising the on-demand video streaming service Yahoo Screen that will rival Amazon and Netflix, as well as upcoming efforts by Microsoft and Sony.

Taking on the likes of Google and Facebook is no mean feat. The two tech companies currently have the most used websites in the world according to Alexa rankings. YouTube, which is now owned by Google, lags only close behind. However, it’s a challenge that its feisty young CEO has accepted. As such, Yahoo may no longer be a company with its best days behind them. And it may no longer struggle with being second best.